Brian Flahaven

The District Department of Transportation’s 17th & 19th Street Safety Improvement Project recommendations were on the agenda of last night’s ANC 6B meeting at the Hill Center. Here is a brief meeting recap:

• Michelle Pourciau of  McKissack & McKissack, DDOT’s consulting partners on the 17th & 19th Street Safety Improvement Project, provided a brief overview of the project’s recommendations and answered commission and audience questions. Ms. Pourciau confirmed that DDOT plans to extend the 17th Street SE recommendations to the 700 & 800 blocks of 17th Street SE and clarified that the goal is to have all of the recommendations implemented by spring/summer of 2014.
• I asked Ms. Pourciau about the installing a raised crosswalk at the intersection of 17th Street SE and E Street SE, a major pedestrian crossing and the point where one lane of traffic will split into two lanes. She replied that DDOT did consider that option but determined that the raised cross walk would be too close to the traffic signal at 17th and Potomac Avenue SE to be effective. Ms. Pourciau did say that DDOT will look into other options for the intersection.
• After the DDOT presentation, ANC 6B unanimously approved a resolution (pdf) in support of the project’s recommendations. The resolution also includes three requests for DDOT:
  • Include the 700 & 800 blocks of Kentucky Avenue SE when implementing the project’s 17th Street SE safety recommendations,
  • Examine ways to discourage drivers from using the turn lane as a passing lane at the intersection of 17th Street SE and E Street SE,
  • Install appropriate pedestrian crossings at the intersections of 19th and C Streets SE and 19th and Burke Streets SE where pedestrians cross to access the Stadium-Armory Metro plaza and St. Coletta of Greater Washington
• The commission voted 9-0-1 to withdraw a protest of Ambar (523 8th Street SE – formerly Jordan’s 8) after the owners agreed to sign a voluntary agreement. The original basis for the protest was commissioner and resident concerns about the potential for noise coming from the establishment’s elevated outside patio. Ultimately, commissioners felt the new voluntary agreement, which outlines how the owners will work to reduce sound coming from the patio, was sufficient to address the concerns.
• Given the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board’s unwillingness to enforce the commission’s stated position on banning the sale of two-packs and three-packs of beer, the commission voted 9-1 to rescind its position. Moving forward, ANC 6B plans to push for bans on the sale of two-packs and three-packs on a case-by-case basis.
• On an 8-0-1 vote, the commission supported a resolution introduced by Commissioner Neil Glick (6B08) requesting that the intersection in front of the Embassy of Bulgaria (1621 22nd Street NW) be renamed in honor of Bulgarian hero Dimitar Peshev. ANC 2D, which represents the area where the intersection is located, has already voted in support of the resolution.
• I announced that ANC 6B’s Hill East Task Force will meet on Monday, November 26, 7:00 pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington (1901 Independence Avenue SE). Ketan Gada and Jose Sousa of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s (DMPED) office will provide an update on the Request for Expressions of Interest for Phase I of the Hill East Waterfront/Reservation 13 development.
• The December ANC 6B meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 11, 7 pm at the Hill Center.

Thanks to everyone who attended meetings and weighed in on the 17th & 19th Street Safety Improvement Project. When implemented, the project’s recommendations will certainly improve safety along these two corridors.